2nd Annual Underwater Parks Day Event!

As many of you know, we were invited to attend The 2nd Annual Underwater Parks Day celebrations at SEA LIFE Aquarium by Legoland ;)

Let me start by telling you that it was a wonderful experience. 

We arrived on time, yes I know, it's not normal for us to arrive on time, but we did it!  We were so excited to go, we had never gone to the SEA LIFE Aquarium before.

We walked up to the entrance and we were greeted by the "ticket-taker" as my son called her lol.  She spoke to the kids, and got them even more excited.  She showed the kids some scratch off cards that they have at the entrance, she told the kids that as they go through the entire Aquarium, there are question areas for them to read, and answer on their scratch off cards.  She told them that at the end of their tour, if they turn in the card at the gift shop, they get a special "expert" badge if they get all of the answers correct.  WE all got excited, lol.

You then have to wait for a group to form and you are all let inside to a "holding area", the kids were so excited  because it just has you anticipating what's next.  In the section we went into, there is a video that plays where you are welcomed and it shows you some great clips.

The doors opens and WOW!  there is a slide and a bridge and a wall aquarium tank

The kids had so much fun, they didn't want to move along, lol.  Once I got their attention with the first trivia question, they rushed to read it, it was very nice to see them helping the little ones with the answers. 

We moved along through different sections of the Aquarium, Izeah which seems to be "soothed" by water or sea life, was just loving every single display.   They have these plaques called "Fin Facts" they teach you something about a specific sea life fact, I loved them, lol, I was so excited to find every single one throughout the entire aquarium ;)

The kids got to make a take-home habitat for an animal of their choice.

All the kids loved the different places where they can pet the different sea animals, but I think Izeah was EXTRA happy about that, he was asking tons of questions and he pet every single thing he could.  He stood there for almost an entire hour just petting a seastar.

Our local ocean conservation organizations that were there: Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation, Coastkeeper, I Love A Clean San Diego, Ocean Discovery Institute, San Diego Oceans Foundation and San Elijo State Beach.  They had booths and activities for The Underwater Parks Day event at SEA LIFE Aquarium.  They gace all of the kids a paper at the antrance to the booths, and if you got a stamp from all of the booths, you turn it in at the desk for a prize.
The kids got to make a button to pin on their shirts, see animals in jar and the effects of pollution, they got to make it "rain" on a plastic mold of a city so they can see where trash and hazardous materials end up.  They did learn, and they had a great time.  At the end of it, they cashed their stamped card for a sticker, and a bookmarker that when they are done using it, they can plant it and it has flower seeds embedded inside.  AWESOME!!!

EVERYONE LOVED the underwater tunnel, even Daddy....

They found The Lost City of Atlantis!

WE ALL had a WONDERFUL time, The entire day was a learning adventure.

When we were done inside of the Aquarium, which by the way was almost closing time, time flies when you're having fun ;)

The kids turned in their scratch off cards at the gift shop for a "expert" badge.

I can not express enough the fun the entire Family had during this event.

Want to know my Favorite part of the whole day?!?!!?

Izeah, (which if you read the sidebar, has autism) had a wonderful time, his ADHD and anxiety were completely under control that day.  The water is his "zone", staring at the sea animals for hours is so therapeutic for him,

While he was sitting here, watching the Lost City of Atlantis, he said

'Mommy, I LOVE it here, this is MY dream come true"

I just cried, he had never "loved" a place as much as this before!

If you have not visited SEA LIFE Aquarium before, please do so, I HIGHLY recommend it!

The price is extremely affordable, even for our large family, the things the entire Family will learn will last for years to come, The best part, is the wonderful memories you will have.

The SEA LIFE Aquarium definitely has my Seal of Approval!!!!

My Family received admission tickets to enjoy the festivities.

A well deserved hello...

I want to say hell o and thank you to my faithful friends for still sticking by my through this little slump i have been in.

Today I am telling myself will be a good day.  ;)

Yesterday when we picked up Kiera from school she was so excited and told us that on the basketball team that she just joined the week before, and mind you, she had never played basketball before that, they all tried out to see what positions they were going to play in today's game, which is thheir first game...
She made "shoot star"
she's the best shooter in the team.
We are going ot her game today, and I will post picks later ;)

On Wednesday we got to go to Disney on Ice, I will write about that later so I can upload pictures n stuff, lol.

Other than that, life has been on the slow track for me since getting sick.  Just haven't been able to get my body back out of the mud, but it's always a work in progress with me, lol.

Thank you Stacie, William, Jingle, Mai, Teresa, Noelle, and everyone else who has kept in constant contact with me, I value you very much as dear friends.

I have not forgotten about freebie friday, I am working on that right now ;)

HUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!

p.s
something that kept me busy today, was finally working on my webpage I received it as a gift years ago, but couldn't figure out how to fix it, lol

Free $5 dllr gift card to Babies R us or Toys R Us (valid today only)

"Free eGift Card!* Become our Facebook Fan today and get a $5 eGift Card as our thanks to you! Use your eGift Card online or in-store at Babies"R"Us or Toys"R"Us for absolutely anything! To get your Free eGift Card, simply fill out this form. But hurry because this offer is valid today only. Email, name & Address are *required. Gift card will be emailed to you within a couple of days from signing up."

I just did it, and wanted to pass it on to all of you ;)
click here to go to their facebook page.

Not so Wordless Wednesday, lol...

I have no idea how my mind works, half the time I'm not sure I know if it's working at all, lol.
Let me explain, my mind does word association in the weirdest of ways.

It started with me thinking:
hhmm I think I am going to do Wordless Wednesday posts like my friends,
then my brain, in one word at a time did this....

Wordless Wednesday = weekly = once a week = fun = wow = wow 

Wow = awesome = cool = giveaways = reviews = weekly reviews = weekly = wednesday = fun

Do you see what happened?  I have no idea how it went to that, just one word followed the other.  I have been thinking a lot lately about my blog, see I have many reviews and giveaways, but I didn't want to loose my very close friends that I have met through blogland.  I have wonderful followers that I would hate to loose because my blog changed direction from what it initially was.
word association:

blog = think = review = loose friends = personal = think of something = ask = poll

and so I am listening to my mind and decided to make a post about polls lol.

I hope I can get enough answers to know what to do next.  For now I will keep my reviews and giveaways to "Wednesdays" until I decide if having a separate blog is best. 
Please take the time to answer, and leave me a comment telling me how you really feel about my "issue" lol
Thank you very much for still following me after putting you through this, lol
HUGS!!!!!!!!

Ghirardelli Chocolates make me smile ;)

I am glad to be able to share my LOVE of chocolates with you, but today it's not just any kind of chocolate...
It's Ghirardelli ;)

I recently had the privilege of tasting their new line of yummy chocolate squares ;)
Ghirardelli Squares milk & peanut butter chocolate

ohh it is absolutely delicious, it's not just regular peanut butter, it has roasted pieces of peanuts!  The peanut butter is very creamy and shame on you if you don't already know how creamy and smooth the chocolate itself is ;)

This is definitely going on my Valentine's Day list for gifts that ROCK! ;)  Ghirardelli has sent me several coupons for friends and family, they are for $1.50 off.  The coupons are great because it leaves you paying around $2.00 a bag, yes it's awesome, I know.  PERFECTLY in time for Valentine's day, yayy!

I chose to share my love of the chocolate with my readers and friends ;)  If you would like for me to mail you a coupon, e-mail me your address and I will send it out ;)
militaryfamof8@yahoo.com

Ghirardelli sent me some delicious chocolates and coupons in exchange for my opinion ;)

a quick catch-up...

I haven't blogged in here in a few days, reasons?
yes, I have them, lol...

here's my timeline so you have an idea of where I've been, lol:

• Saturday.  We  went to an awesome event at the SEALIFE Aquarium, to which I still have not had the time and strength to finish my review :(
• Sunday. Anthony (4 yr old) spent the day complaining that his tummy hurt only to start with stomach flu later that afternoon, non stop V&D poor baby :(
• Monday. We had a presentation to go to, and Anthony felt good enough to go.  He had a V episode in the car, but did great and even ate at the event.  The rest of the afternoon he was just miserable.  Couldn't keep anything down. :(
  
•  Tuesday. Anthony still had the stomach flu and I was in so much pain from my R.A I could hardly move
• Wednesday. Izeah (6 yr old) woke up with a low grade fever and V, so I kept him home from school.  Ant was feeling better from the stomach flu, Izeah seemed to be trying to fight it, and I was in miserable pain from the R.A
• Thursday. It hits the fan!!! I woke up with the stomach flu, Izeah went to school because his body managed to fight off the tummy flu ;) and Anthony was feeling great, a real chitter chatter ;)  I was feeling sooo crappy, stomach flu in full motion, and the pain from my R.A was at it's max.  Not a  good day.

• Friday. Today was my baby's 10th Birthday, and Mommy was just a full mess.  She went to school, I had spent the previous night crying to hubby to take me to the doc, I know I sound like a wuss being that Anthony braved through his stomach flu episode like a champ, but I gave up, I couldn't stop visiting the porcelain god every hour, for 14 hours straight, 14 hrs straight.  I got a call from the school, asking me to pick up Lily, she was crying from a stomach ache.  Once she came home she told me she had been throwing up all day at school, boy will they get a horrible call on monday!!!!!!!!!  She spent the rest of the afternoon and night with the stomach flu.  Friday night, daddy surprised us all by bringing home a chocolate cake for Kiera, and he cooked a family steak dinner since it's her favorite.  

•  On a good note, I think I lost about 5 pounds, lol

 I still feel yukky, I guess it's a migraine from being dehydrated, hopefully Lily will not keep that bug for too long
l
I hope you all have a great weekend ;)


V&D= vomit & diar. R.A= Rheumatoid Arthritis V=vomiting

Hi and Welcome ICLW members.......

Hi and Welcome ICLW members ;)

How are you?  In case you did not meet me at last month's ICLW, here is the link to my post
click here

I have learned from a few ICLW'ers that I am not alone in any of these issues.

this is my main blog, I come here to share our lives with the world ;)
good and bad days, adventures and everything else, with the occasional reviews/giveaways ;)

I also have another blog, where I document my life, not my family's, but mine, feelings, things i'm going through, depression for that one click here

On a fun note, I have a new blog, where I, and a few friends are participating in the 365 project, we have our links up and give each other the fun support ;)  feel free to stop by and join if you want for that one click here

Feel free to roam around, you don't have to stay in this one, I understand.

I look forward to meeting all of you ;)

This mommy NEEDS to have her Life Simplified!!!!!!! ;)

I have been asking my hubs for a laptop for YEARS!!
Yeah you read it right, Holidays, birthdays, tax seasons, you name the occasion for a gift, and the first thing I ask for is a laptop.

Do I have one? no! What do I use? A desktop, the family's desktop. Ohh that's not it, we bought it in 2002. I whine about it all the time. I have to share it with 6 children, and one game addicted hubby.
Hello!! they DO know about my love for blogging and all the things I want to do, projects I am involved in.
I want my own notebook, I need one, I DESERVE ONE!!!!!!

Let me tell you what I do, I wake up, walk the kids to school, come home, wait 20 mins for my comp to wake up :( To check my e-mails takes about 2 hours, thanks to the awesome speed of OUR desktop ;)

I love to take pictures, blog, and network, can I do it? as fast as a snail ;)
ohhh but wait, over 3000 pictures have been permanently lost due to 3 hard drives crashing, why? simple, I can only have so many programs on the comp because of the room on it's brain, lol, viruses have taken over because we don't have the room for anti-virus software. ALL of my kids baby pictures have been permanently erased. I have tried to save them to internet albums, it takes about one hour for me to upload 30 pictures, don't believe me? come over and I'll show you.

let me enlighten you a little bit more ;) for 6 years my in-laws lived 2 hours from us, one weekend a month we would spend it with them, guess what? EXACTLY!!! I would carry my HUGE desktop and even bigger monitor with us, I would wait for my in-laws to go to sleep and take over their phone line. OHH it gets funnier for you, but sadder for me, lol.....

I have been on bed rest during the last 4 pregnancies, during the last 3 i was in the hosp over 3 months at a time, while all the moms in there on bed rest had their own laptops, i had a HUGE desktop in there, I couldn't use it because it was too heavy for the little table and I wasn't allowed to have it on my bed, believe me I tried.

During the 2005 San Diego wildfires, I was on bed rest my husb had to evacuate our home because of the fire, he fit everything into the van that he could and the desktop had to use up the entire front seat, lucky for me I was in the hosp, lol.

During the 2007 San Diego wildfires, we had to evacuate once more. We couldn't find hotels in the area so we decided to go stay with my in-laws. Yes, you guessed it, our desktop was with us in the front seat, completely UNCOMFORTABLE!!!!!! ;) Oh I still get teased about it.
we went to NY last Christmas and I was ready to take it with us, We were so over the weight limit that I had to leave it in the car during our vacation.

Yes I need to have the HP Mini 110 to Simplify my Life, I need it bad, lol. I very seldom get pedicures because I feel bad using the family's money, I just don't feel comfortable asking for something for me, because guilt kicks in, lol. I do ask for one, but I know it's not something we can afford.  I do it for the thrill.   We are a Family of 8, one one income, a Military income at that, lol, so we're talking major budget to make it through to the next paycheck.

When I saw that I could enter a sweepstakes for an HP Mini 110 with Windows 7, I ran and made hubby come and read it, I told him that I finally had a chance of having my own notebook. know what he said????? "good luck with that one, you've got the same odds as me buying you one" All of a sudden an orange jumpsuit and a few yrs in solitary didn't sound so bad, lol, lol.

Ok so I know I am throwing all of my "ghettoness" out there, lol, but I don't care, lol, I want/NEED to win this so bad!! I am tired of fighting the kids for a turn on the comp, my usual time I have for myself on the comp is between midnight to 5am, don't believe me? look at all the timestamps my posts.

My hubs got word that his Duty station will likely be moved to the East Coast in a cpl of months, see, you already know me!!! Yes, we will be driving cross country in our van, with 6 kids, a dog, and a HUGE desktop and monitor the size of a cooler, lol. I want to document our travel, I want to blog about everything we see and experience on our drive across country; and yes, I will carry that huge thing into every hotel room we go into, so I can blog every night.
Suitcases with clothes, toys, blankets, pillows, cooler for food, snacks, and a HUGE desktop will all be in the car, oh wait, I forgot our dog, his bed, and crate.

On Feb 6, I have a blogging event where Moms will network, HOW EMBARRASSING that I HAVE to take my desktop to the hotel because I don't have a notebook :(

YES, phone books

My monster

do you see how much my life needs to be "simplified"?!?!?
This is why I am entering this sweepstakes because I NEED it so bad.

I NEED to have MY life Simplified by winning this HP Mini 110 with Windows 7, because with 6 kids and a cooky life, I need ALL the help I can get ;)

You have a chance to win your own HP Mini 110 by leaving a comment on this post 3 random winners will be chosen from all of the comment entries.

YYYaaayyyy LET'S WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PLS help, I'm doing my part, have u done urs?

I know I am just 1 person, but my heart is breaking for thousands.

please help me get word out, with just $5 dollars you can help send money to Haiti, Wyclef Jean is helping on ground and with donation efforts for the people in Haiti.

TEXT 'YELE' TO 501501 to donate $5 dllrs

PLEASE help me get the word out, send out my post link, or copy and post, please tweet for me, i am trying to do all i can to help, this money is going directly to forces on ground to help, please see video and or go to his website http://www.wyclef.com/



TEXT 'YELE' TO 501501 to donate $5 dllrs


TEXT 'YELE' TO 501501 to donate $5 dllrs
 
copy of my tweet:
@militaryfamof8 as a mom of 6 i am asking for ur help PLS RT WATCH & HELP bit.ly/55GEFT we have SO many luxuries pls help send NECESSITIES TO HAITI

"ALL I HAVE IS A COMPUTER, BUT I KNOW HOW TO USE IT ;) "

Freebie Friday ;)

Well I love freebies, who doesn't?  so I thought I would share with you the free samples I come across  cool huh?

I will only post links to sites I have already confirmed that are working and still active.  If you don't have a use for some things, think about donating to a good cause,  remember "every little bit counts ;) "

 
Free Post-it Durable tab samples

redbox movie rental codes:
BREAKROOM, DVDONME, and for for use at Walgreens only is: DVDATWAG


Free Tacobell Fresco Taco coupon

Free 7 day sample of Nature made Triple flex caplets

Free clorox "greenworks" sample
i tried this 3 times for a different product each time and it said it went through ;) & they ship to canada

FREE ConservingNow Static Window Cling

Simple Essentials Mobility & Simple Essentials Immunity Support dog treat samples, i tried once for each treat and it said it went through

Free 2 Pack Sample of Purex Complete 3–in–1 Laundry Sheets click here

win FREE Dove Beauty Bars

If you adopted a doggie in 2009,  go here and fill out the form, you have to submit a copy of your adoption paper, and you recieve a free 20 lb bag of Pedigree dog food.

 click here for Purex 3 in 1 sample

I hope you enjoy these offers, and I will try hard to have a freebie friday list for you all every week ;)
please feel free to send me any freebie links you come across ;)

I am Team Under!! lol

I am entering a contest on The Mom Blogger Club for a month's worth of toilet paper. yes, lol I said toilet paper, lol, with a house full of so many people, you have no idea how fast the toilet paper goes, lol.

So I am trying to win toilet paper like I said, lol, but the cool thing is that all the people who leave a comment on this post, will be entered to win 1 of 10 Cottonelle gift baskets that will randomly chosen on January 29, 2010 from all entries.

I can win toilet paper and you can win a gift basket, don't worry, I don't feel cheated, lol, especially since we are on our last roll, AGAIN, lol.

Good luck for those of you who comment ;)

A Wonderful event for everyone @ Sea Life Aquarium

I had the privilege of being invited to this awesome event and I would LOVE to pass the opportunity on to you and/or your Family to enjoy as well ;)

On Saturday January 16, 2010, Sea Life Aquarium, yes, as in the one next to LEGOland, yayyyy!!!!! ;) will celebrate their 2nd Annual Underwater Parks Day by having an AWESOME Family Friendly Festival, how cool is that?!??!!

What is SEA LIFE  you ask? :o "gasp!!!"

SEA LIFE is an Aquarium that was especially designed to be a child's interactive guide to our Beautiful Sea Life, they have different opportunities for the Families to have up close and personal encounters with many of our different sea creatures, they have hands on activities along with teaching us all about our sea life.  

We will have a chance to make our own take-home habitat, awesome right?!?!?!

Teresa Espaniola, a renowned local artist  who is known for painting seascapes as well as for her unique works using found objects and beach trash, will be leading the Happy Habitat Mural project, where children will be able to add their own cool sea creature to the Ocean Mural that will live in The Discovery Zone, what a wonderful and fun way to have the children see and show us what a healthy underwater habitat should look like.  

There will also be several hands-on activities at the Kid's Conservation Expo.

 

There will be information booths, activities for the families throughout the whole day, as well as Nine of Espanola’s “gARTbage” artworks, using our local beach trash to create her that will be on display during the event.  See if you can find all 9 ;) and there will also be giveaways, yayyy!!!!

Our local ocean conservation organizations that will be there are: Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation, Coastkeeper, I Love A Clean San Diego, Ocean Discovery Institute, San Diego Oceans Foundation and San Elijo State Beach with booths and activities for The Underwater Parks Day event at SEA LIFE Aquarium.

There a several other Aquariums that will be hosting Underwater Park Day events, but SEA LIFE Aquarium is the only one created it with kids and families in mind, cool!!!!!!

Yes, SEA  LIFE Aquarium passes my test for family budget friendly prices and all activities are included in the cost of Aquarium admission – $19 for adults, $15 for seniors and $12 for kids 3 to 12 and they offer a AAA discount as well as Military discounts as well, yessss!!!

The Underwater Parks Day at SEA LIFE Aquarium takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

 For anyone that is interested in attending, and for those that still weren't convinced, I have an even better surprise!!!!!!

CLICK HERE for your coupon for 2 free children's admissions with every paying adult, told you it was a GREAT surprise!!!!!!!!

With that said, I hope to see many Families there, I know My Family will be attending, and I hope yours will too.

Let me know if you or your Family will be there too ;)

Please help me spread the word about this wonderful event, what better way to have a fantastic Family fun day AND learn about our SEA LIFE as well ;)

are you on Twitter?  add me @militaryfamof8

tweet about this awesome event with hashtag #sdsealife
"example of my dream tweet from you:  
Great family event at SEA LIFE Aqu. 1/16 http://bit.ly/6o1Xi5 PLS help me spread the word & RT #SDsealife  "

My Family received admission tickets in exchange for promoting this event.

To-Do Tuesday

 I figure, if I'm going to embarrass myself, i'll do it big, lol.
One of the things I'm great at, is writing everything down that I need to do; from appt to chores, the thing is that I loose everything, lol, and if i have it in front of me, I accidentally ignore it, lol 

I  have tons of chores I have been "neglecting", and over 100 e-mails I have not had time to answer yet, yes I did say 100 emails, when I logged into my ya.hoo a little while ago, it said I have 265 unread e-mails. :/
C'mon, give me a break, ALL of the kids have been home for over a month on vacation, and the hubs has been working til 1-2am every night the last week, so my time has been seriously sabotaged.  ;)


So when this mommy sent out her link for this "activity" I figured it's a great idea ;)

So here's my To-Do list for the week, feel free to "bug" me about it, lol

1. make grocery list
2. make sure I find coupons for all things I can
3. finish all e-mails by weds. night ;)
4. tackle ALL laundry in the house!!!!! (last time it was 22 loads)
   
5. stick to my 365 project :)
6. 2pm Thurs O.T appt for son
7. clean entire kitchen :/
8. make sure I still continue to return the comment love ;)
9. finish fixing my new lay-out
   
10. put away ALL Christmas decorations :/
11. My ultimate goal is to start unpacking the garage ;) but this will take weeks, lol (let me tell you about this, we moved in here in June, but havent unpacked because to this date, we are still waiting for news of changing commands, therefor it would be useless to unpack and re-pack, lol, it's my theory and I'm entitled to it, lol)

I'm going to leave it at that, lol.  If i don't do anything else, at least I will have done 8 things, hahaha, this doesn't include the normal daily things I have to do already, lol

Feel free to join in, and let me know if you do, so I can "bug" you, lol

(((this is being added at 632am on weds morning)))

1. go to sleep sometime after sending the kids to school and picking up hubs from a most comfortable night of WELL rested sleep at the sleep study lab (ggrrr)
2. remind myself to go to sleep since I haven't been to sleep since yesterday, and on top of that, I slept 2 hours yesterday, hhmmmm, maybe I should sign myslef up for a sleep study huh? lol
3. remind myself to read tuesdays list and re-read 1-3 on the bottom of the post ;)
   

Please bear with me ;)

I am trying to learn how to change the layout, and everything in my page went bazerk, lol.

~Hey, I can finally say:......

"please excuse this mess, we are under construction"

and I have a reason for it, lol lol

I recieved The Kreative Blogger Award ;)

I recieved The Kreative Blogger Award this week!! Yay!!!!
I recieved the award from a wonderful friend ;) Stacie from Super mommy to the Rescue.
Thank you so much for the award, and for thinking that I actually deserve it ;)

The Rules for accepting this award are:

1. Thank the person giving you this award.
2. Copy the award to your blog
3. place a link to their blog
4. Name 7 things people don't know about you.
5. Nominate 7 Bloggers.
6. Place a link to those Bloggers.
7. Leave a comment letting those Bloggers know about the award.
   

So here it goes ;)

1. I have fantasies about one day having my wedding ;)
2. I have a secret crush on Vin Diesel ;)'
3.  I drink 5-8 cans of Pepsi a day :/
4. I cry at almost every movie I see lol
5. If I could get away with it, I would live off of chocolate ;)'
6. I am trying to raise my kids the opposite way I was raised 
7. I have a secret crush on Vin Diesel (giggles cause i know it's #2 as well)

 The & Blogs I nominate are:

1. I am the Glue  I love reading her blog and her organization ;)
   
2. Creating my Reality Her art is amazing, and her posts are funny and helpful
3. Sandie Lee...Live it. Love it. Write it. I love reading her blog her Bumples magazine blog ;)
4. The Mommy files I love her posts, info, and reviews and give a ways and that she is friendly ;) 
5. Simply Stacie i love her honest posts and reviews/give a ways.
6. Jingle I love reading the poems, the kindness, cute Haiku's, lyrics, an awesome site ;)
7. William's public poem blog I love reading his poems! true and to the heart, he links to his short stories as well
8. My walking Path   Beautiful short stories that I enjoy reading!

So kick me, i couldn't cut it down, lol, I struggled for over an hour to cut down to 7 because I wanted to post everyone.  I hope i didnt hurt any feelings, I finally had to just pick.

When I first got this award I thought it would be such a fun process, but I needed an option of entering 20 blogs, lol.

Thank you again Stacie!!!

A way to say thank-you from our furry friends......

Did you adopt a doggie in 2009?

If so,  go here and fill out the form, you have to submit a copy of your adoption paper, and you recieve a free 20 lb bag of Pedigree dog food.

That simple!!

Great way to save some extra cash for a special doggie treat ;)

Something fun to do tomorrow... for free!

Ok, so how many of you know what Lowe's is?

A home building supply store right?

Did you know that on selected saturdays they have FREE building activities for kids?

This saturday they are doing a coin bank activity.  I believe it's too late to sign up online, but call your local Lowes and if there is room, you can show up.

Every saturday the first 50 kids (i have never seen more than 15 at a time) get a free kids apron,  goggles and tools.

Just go to their website
click here and sign up.  
It's that easy, I signed up my kids, and since daddy has to work all day tomorrow, I figured we would have a fun day out.  I have another place I was asked to go review so I will take advantage that they are close to each other; I will post about it later ;)

Next event they have is for January 23, 2010 the project will be a Tic Tac Toe box

I just signed up my kids for that as well.

I hope you take advantage of this fun activity.

I recieved no compensation, I was asked to blog about it and review the program, in exchange for them tolerating my kids during the event ;)

Free Purex sample!

I found another cool little deal, and I have to share it with everyone!

I have never tried this product, but I wanted too, I just couldn't justify spending the money on it, and it wind up not working.

ta-dahhh, so Purex is having a sample give a way for their 3 in 1 laundry sheets.
Perfect opportuiny to try it, I just sent out for mine, one per household.

Try it, you have nothing to loose ;) 


Purex 3 in 1 sample

Thankful Thursday... Patti Patton-Bader/Soldier's Angels Organization

(On Thankful Thursdays I will feature a person or organization that I or We are thankful  for)

Today's Thankful Thursday post is about Soldier's Angels.
You don't know who they are?  She is one, I am one, and hundreds and thousands of other people are Soldier's Angel's.

Let me tell you about it.  Soldier's Angels was started by a wonderful woman named Patti Patton-Bader.  Her "Legacy" started long before she was born.  You see, Her Family has been in the Military before she was even born.  When her oldest son was called off to war, Her motherly instinct, and her Supreme dedication kicked in and became a Blessing to many; without her even knowing.

Her and Her Husband started shipping packages to their son, before he even got to Iraq.  Here is a little snippet from a letter she wrote on her website:
It all started when I called my father after I heard Brandon was deploying to Iraq. I expressed my fears to him, since he is a retired lieutenant colonel who served two tours in Viet Nam and so had some experience in war. To my horror, he replied, "Do not worry honey. He is short, he can run under the bullets."  Dad!!!  Well, he was trying to get my head right, and so he proceeded to tell me--in great detail--how to make care packages. My husband ran out, bought up the store, and came home with enough for 40 packages. When Brandon hit Kuwait, we stared sending, one a day.  Hopes and prayers flowed from our home along with every package. 

They started sending packages everyday, Once they were able to hear from their son, they learned that EVERYone was benefitting from those packages, Brandon expressed to her how so many Soldier's did not have any support from Family or friends, so Patti hit her passion even harder.  Soldier's Angel's was born.

She contacted Family, friends and she did all she could to get America to support our Soldier's.

Five years have passed, hundreds of thousands of Soldier's have been supported, supporters and friendships have been made.The organization has grown so much! Over 20 different chapters are inside of Soldier's Angels. All because of the undying and determined love of this Woman.

 She has recieved countless awards, and deserves so many more in my opinion.

Since I was much younger, I always dreamed of doing something great for our Military, something that would show them how Thankful we all were to them.  She has done this and so much more.  For Patti Patton-Bader, and Soldier's Angel's, all of our volunteers and supporters, and especially to Our Military, I am Thankful this Thursday and every day.

So many of our military is away overseas, or even in your own cities, yet they feel alone, they think they are alone, please do what you can to help these wonderful people know that there is an entire Country behind them.  Say Thank-you, reffer them to Soldier's Angel's, reffer them to The USO.

If you have a love for volunteering, a Love for our Military and want to show your support, go to their website and see all the wonderful programs they have.  Do you want to help, but don't want to commit to something concrete?  Contact me, I  am a Soldier's angel, I send care packages to assigned Soldier's overseas, you can donate small items for me to include in my packages.

This is The Soldier's Angel's Mission Statement:
May no soldier go unloved.
May no soldier walk alone.
May no soldier be forgotten,
Until they all come home

As Thursdays go by, I will post about the many different support programs that The Soldier's Angels offers our Military.

Thank you Patti, Mr. Bader, and our Military for all you do!

 

 In case you want to know ;)  here is a list of all the groups within Soldier's Angels:
Adopt a Soldier - Individualized support throughout deployment
Angel Bakers - Homemade treats for the deployed
Blankets of Belief - Showing deployed troops, "We believe in you!"
Blankets of Gratitude - Handcrafted love for hospitalized veterans
Blankets of Hope - Handcrafted comfort for the wounded
Cards Plus Team - Extra TLC for soldiers & families
Chaplain Support Team - Help chaplains support the troops
Community Team Leaders (CTLs) - Representing Soldiers' Angels at home
Eagle Cane Project - Handmade canes for the wounded
First Response Backpacks - Supplies for wounded in-country
Hero Packs - Care packages
Ladies of Liberty - Extra TLC for deployed females
Letter Writing Team - Personal letters for the deployed
Living Legends - Remembering the fallen and their families
Memorial Portraits - Drawings for families of the fallen
Operation Birthday Cake - Shipping gourmet birthday cakes to deployed troops
Operation Outreach - Supporting families waiting at home
Operation Phone Home - Calling cards
Operation Top Knot - Handmade gifts & virtual baby showers
Scarves - Handmade heat and sand protection
SA Germany - Supporting medevac'd wounded/ill and medical staff at Landstuhl
SOS:Kids - Helping deployed soldiers help local kids
Tank Support - Helping Veterans Travel to Medical Appointments
Valour-IT - Adaptive laptops for the wounded
VA Crochet & Craft - Handmade comfort & dignity for hospitalized Vets
Veterans Support - Assisting veterans facilities
Wounded TLC - Letters and care packages for the wounded

Free Museums on Tuesdays

I was asked to do a review on a wonderful program.

Here in San Diego, Ca, We have The beautiful and Historic Balboa Park.

It is such a beautiful Park, has a wide variety of Museums and restaurants. 
The architecture of those buildings is just absolutely amazing, my 9 year old daughter loves to go and look at the buildings.

There are many events that go on in Balboa Park, but Tuesdays is an event all on it's own.

Every Tuesday there is a different list of Museums that are admission free for San Diego residents and Military Families.  It's called Residen't Free Tuesdays.

Since the kids are still on vacation, and mommy needed a break, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity for a Family Adventure.  

Since on the 1st we went to The Ruben H. Fleet Science Center  I thought we would go to a different one today. 

We went to The San Diego Natural History Museum.   They have an exhibit called "Fossil Mysteries"  ALL of the kids loved it, they went all over the 5 floors and even were amazed with the photograph exhibits that were taking place. 

I encourage everyone to visit This beautiful park, The museums and all of the outside activities that go one, especially on weekends.
If you love photography, this is a definite place to go.  A hidden treasure near downtown.

Our visit to The Ruben H. Science Center...

What a wonderful way to start The New Year...

On January 1, 2010, our family was invited to an awesome event held at The Ruben H. Fleet science Center.
It was to show case their new exhibit called "Block Busters"  The museum was opened to invited guests only, and we were treated to a breakfast that the kids called "super cool!"; since there was a wide selection of donuts and juice, my kids favorite in the mornings ;)

We ALL got to play in the exhibit area where they have over 15,000 wooden Keva (Knowledge – Exploration – Visual Arts) planks.  These planks are laser cut, and and measures 1/4 inch thick, 3/4 inch wide and 4 1/2 inches long.  We learned that these planks are precision cut and are all exact size, designed to build limitless things with.

We walked into the exhibition area and saw many children and adults playing with the KEVA planks, in addition there was a special surprise.  Joe Lizurra from KUSI news was doing his broadcasts live from there, and also was building his own tower.  My kids went straight to building, and so did my husband.  I was too busy taking pictures, but soon was drawn to the KEVA planks, myself, lol.

During Joe's last broadcast, he let the kids destroy his 5 foot building.  Of course all of the kids loved it.  After his broadcast, my son Izeah borrowed Joe for a few different things ;)









In the exhibit it says that destroying your designs if half the fun, my children will agree..

I want you to share the fun of these KEVA planks yourself.  I am going to give a way 4 tickets to The Ruben H. Fleet Center, so you can experience The Block Buster exhibit yourself .

Have fun, be a child, I promise it's a lot of fun, and you learn a lot of fun facts as well.  Visit their awesome IMAX movie theater, see the many exhibits they have available, after your visit, stop by their gift shop, they have "austronaut ice cream" and you can also purchase your own set of KEVA planks for yourself ;)

At The Ruben H. Fleet Center, you have to purchase separately your IMAX movie ticket, but The 2 tickets I am giving away, have the IMAX movie ticket included ;)

To Enter:
*Visit their site, and tell me in a comment what you look forward to doing at The Ruben H. Fleet Science Center (1 mandatory entry)

Optional extra entries

• Follow me on Google Friend connect (2 entries)
• Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)
• Tweet about this give a way with a link (1 entry for each tweet )
• blog about this give a way with a link to my post (6 entries)
• 
  

Remember, leave me a comment with every entry you earn and the link to the activity.  I will contact the winner by email, so I can mail you the tickets.  Good luck!!!
This give a way will run until Jan. 12, 2010


I received tickets to the Science center for my family on a future visit in exchange for my review.

New Years Day!

We had an invitation to a great event this morning, and though none of us wanted to wake up at 6am, since we went to bed at 2am, we still managed to get up, lol.

We got invited to a special event at The Ruben H. Fleet Center, it's a science museum.  It is such a cool place to go to as an adult and as a child.  They have so many hands on activities you can do, and an IMAX movie theater.

We had a great time, my son stole the weather news anchor, Joe Lizurra from KUSI news, and kept him for a while after he was done doing his segments, lol. 

here are a few pictures of the kids, and hubs and my sculpture as well, lol. 

 

these were the kids getting ready to destroy one of the buildings, lol, you will notice at the exhibit if you go, that half the fun is tearing the designs down, as that they did, lol

 

this was my design, lol

As soon as I am done with my uploading, I will post my review and a give a way for the Ruben H. Fleet center.  It really is an amazing place guys!


After that Daddy surprised the kids with a trip to eat out.    We had a gift card to a restaurant, and it was so nice to finally be able to g out to eat.  We had a nice meal and headed home, as always I am the last one in the house and daddy was already laying on the couch ready for a nap, lol.

I fussed a bit, but then everyone helped and we cleaned the whole house in about 2 hours, yay!

After that we were wide awake and just hung out for the rest of the day, the kids played with their Christmas gifts and watched t.v.
For dinner Daddy cooked steak, another surprise! 

All in all, it was a great way to start the New Year!

I hope you all have been having a great New year so far ;)

Happy New Year's!!!!!

I hope everyone has a a wonderful year.

I hope that you accomplish all that you set out to do.  May your heart and your wallet always be full and your dishwasher empty (giggles)

I don't have any resolutions, I didnt make any last year either, I think it's because I felt too sad that I let myself down when I didnt go through with them, I mean it's not "fully" ok to blame someone else, but it feels a lot better than blaming yourself right? lol

I do have some goals I would like for the new year, but if they dont go through, I will remind myself that they are goals and not every goal is met ;)

*I  want to TRY  to be more positive: meaning let go of grudges, try to see what I have and not what I dont have, and help my children to see things that way as well.

*I want to volunteer more, and help more with the fundraising events

* I want to be able to adopt more Soldier's and be able to have a way to make money or get product donations so I can send them each a care package at least once a month.

*I want to help spread the word more about wonderful organizations that do so much good for people.

*I want to be able to help my son with all he is going through right now with all of his "diagnosis"

*I hope to make more friends through blogland ;)

*I want to be a better friend, a better supporter to those that need me.

*I hope that I am able to make my blog better, that I am able to bring my friends and readers a lot of deals and great reviews.

*I want to work on getting closer with my family, and getting my marriage on better grounds, yes it's good right now, but like all marriages it has up and downs, I just want to have more ups this year than downs ;)

*most importantly, I want to have a better relationship with God, having faith is something I have always been good with, but I want to work on getting my "sheltered" self to church.  (it's just hard at times when my depression is bad)

Sorry this turned into a story, I hope that you will stay with me and that I can be there for you as a friend.

Have a great weekend!!!

I DID IT!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR'S!!!!!!!!! 100th post!!

i want to wish everyone a happy new year, i want to wish you lots of blessings and many smiles.

i hope that all the pain and hurt and anguish you have gone through will stay in the 2009, i wish you all so much love and happiness, may all of your wishes come true, may you all be flooded with hugs and health and wealth and everything great that may come.

dont let anything bad that has happened to you hold you back, as one reader told me, i have to stop and see what i DO have, and the fact that I am alive, that is more than i could ask for, i have a home and food on the table, please please please, try to see the things YOU DO HAVE, and try to use that to help you see how blessed in so many ways that you are.  EVERYthing can be solved exept death